The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1887-12-09

stands AZ IN begs. ttetoN Ic'o-p"S
s,,o for Refreshmspt.
had long been wanting TO see an In
ala, .snow dance when one Saturday,
-..r the usual bi-monthly issue of ratiOns,
.vss rumored that there was 10 be an
,.nallv large one about four miles from
hs most II was clear, cold winter
.lf with the mercury standing al
ID a.rs below zero. The members OF
.n,fle party were soon snugly nesting
An. straw AT the bottom Of govern
.rf sleigh. and we were travelling
..,.ri the dance as fast ss four good
,,nl.. could draw ms.
ri. dance was held In low log house,
l..t forty feet long aud eighteen feet
I. We ahghted al the door, around
.tlh we're gathered quite n crowd Of un-
'..lt..i spectators The door aud windows
...r. omen and the house, which was not
H,lnl into rooms, was lighted by two
t.ro.ene lamps. We entered during a
f-n iu the festivities. In one end OF the
rom sQuatting on the ground close 20
,t. wall. were tAirtyfiye OF forty squaws,
dressed boo their usual calico dresses and
.oalen .hawls. Around the walls at the
.ft,r end sat the male guests, each with
li. blanket or sheet drawn over him. In
... corner Of the bucks end Of the room
Sass tlntom or Indian drum, around
which were seated just as many old bucks
..e.u.d crowd into the little circle. Near
H. middle If the room at the squaws'
,g4s another drum, equally well pro
..i,I with musicians Near these was a
small stove i'm which wrinkled old buck
ua. Keeping up a fire by feeding 1t with
twgs We ranged ourselves along the
wall near the door. and, although our en-
trance was noticed boy ALL they gave no
Indication Of IL 10y look OF word.
cALrNCE or THE r0NuOMs
soon inter our entrance the old fellows
around the tOmtOms began 10 beat them
with measured cadence at the same time
sra1mpanying the sound 10y grooming a
u.rI song suddenly one buck threw of
BIS sheet and spfinging Go his feet began
n dance lie was quickly followed by
t.eoihers, and ia "a moment our brains
ws.e almost whirliug al the grOtesque
,tlhf The dancing consisted of series
of horrible cOntOrtiOns Of body and face,
arumplnied by the most blood curdllng
..u,l- and wells. the feet. meantime,
t.suu- accurately the cadence Of the
drum. Imagine my surprise when
noticed that Notwithstanding the extreme
nI0f the night these men were almost
entirely naked. most Of them wearing no
o.fUug but wooden breechclOth and
r.r 90 beaded m0ccasins. They were
.amfed in the NEST striking manner from
head t1 foot. Each had a headdress or
hnuef of colOved buffalo hHir with a
fringe Of engie feathers running down the
aDA Brass bracelets and anklets and
strings Of beds also adorned many of
um The description OF the decorations
of one of them Will serve for an
DID, addition 10 the adOrrmeuts above
mentioned he had % double string of
lu.b bells ruutuug from his ankle 70
.ru passed around the lee at the knee
I'D die small of his back. and attached 10
DAD. urdle. was an immense bunch OF long
,lorcd buffalo hair His face was painted
saffron yellow. with a large red spot on
either check and horizontal red lines run
0ur across the forehead His eyebrows
and the edges of the lids were painted "a
dazzling white His body was red and
BIS arms and legs were light blue, with
occasional bands of yellow. ia one hand
he brand he'd tOmahaWk, highly Orna-
mrnted with cOlored horse hair and por-
upine quilts. and his appearance was
tmN mdcOus as he twisted himself into
almost impossible positions and gave his
blood curihng yell After the dancing
had been going on for ten OF fifteen min
utes the tomtoms ceased and he retired
ta his place by the wall and covered his
.teaming body with cotton sheet. lie
had probably walked mile through the
snow with the Thermometer y dogs
below zero. with only that cotton sheet 10
project him from the cold. ! have seen
,.uaw- walking through the snow IN bare
fit ami carving their moccasins and
rkm-s ina their hands. Each dance
Ia. terminated by the old dime novel
r..r Whoop. which the small boy initiates
JOS Yelling, and az the same Time NiDra'
u. DOH. hand before his mouth
TIE sQCAWs TAKE PART
Oneeln every hour the squaws are al
lowed 10 take part in the dancing while
.e bucks rest They join hands and
form "a circle about their tomtom, and
fHur dancing consists Of a series of side
bitches To the left. accompanied 10y sing
u. They slowly travel around the circle
slmld any buck come near enough 10 the
circle the squaw nearest SEXES his hand,
aud he IL compelled to join the squaw
dance and make his captor present at ITS
close.
AZ intervals during the dance we had
noticed TWO squaws enter, carrying be
tween them an iron pot slung on pole.
The pot was deposited near the stove, and
the squaws disappeared only TO repeated
lis return with other similar burdens.
The contents Of the pots we discovered
constituted the refreshments. | had the
curiosity 20 look iuto one of the pots, aud
va, Mortified TO find it filed with "a muddy
hquid out Of which was protruding the
.Iuniug head of a good sized dog IL had
b,eu killed by blow on the head aud
thrown as il was into the pot TO BOZ!
Each guest brings with him to the dance
attn cup with which he helps himself TO
tho soup at the proper time.
AZ these dances the Indians even now
vork themselves into perfect frenzy, and
30 has always been o custom with them 10
engage in a dance before going to war or